WASHINGTON, December 2. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan have discussed the situation in Syria, noting the need to de-escalate and ensure the security of civilians in Aleppo, US State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller said in a written statement published on Sunday.

He noted that Blinken and Fidan discussed "the rapidly developing situation in Syria." They talked about "the need for de-escalation and the protection of civilian lives and infrastructure in Aleppo and elsewhere." The diplomat added that the two officials also discussed humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip and the need to stop combat and release all hostages there.

According to a Turkish foreign ministry source, Fidan told Blinken Ankara was "against any development that would increase instability in the region" and would "support moves to reduce the tension in Syria." Additionally, he reiterated that his country would "never allow terrorist activities against Turkey nor against Syrian civilians."

Earlier, Fidan held a number of phone conversations on Syria with his colleagues from other countries. On Saturday, he discussed the situation with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two "confirmed the importance of coordinating joint actions to stabilize the situation in Syria - primarily, by engaging the potential of the Astana format."

The Syrian army command reported on November 28 that units of the Jabhat al-Nusra extremist group (outlawed in Russia) had staged a large-scale attack on Syria’s northern governorates the day prior. The terrorists attempted to seize a number of neighborhoods and military facilities and attacked the positions of government forces. The Syrian army launched an operation to repel the attack.

On November 30, the Syrian army command said that government forces were delivering strikes on terrorists’ positions in Aleppo and were expecting reinforcements. According to the Syrian Defense Ministry, the army had to regroup when repelling the attack by terrorists on Aleppo to save the lives of civilians and its troops and is getting prepared for a counterattack.